Rebecca Ballhaus

Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Rebecca Ballhaus is a reporter in The Wall Street Journal's Washington, D.C. bureau, where she writes about national politics and campaign finance. She is a graduate of Brown University. Email her at rebecca.ballhaus@wsj.com or call at 202-862-9239.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul won the Conservative Political Action Conference’s straw poll for the third year in a row Saturday, while Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker placed second, reflecting his surging popularity.

Billionaire Ken Griffin last month became the first donor to give the maximum contribution to the Republican Party, following new campaign finance rules that allow individuals to give 10 times the previous limit to national party committees.

The conservative super PAC American Crossroads is out with its first online advertisement of this election cycle, targeting presumed Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton for accepting donations to her foundation from foreign governments.

The 2016 fundraising race is on for party committees. Both the Republican National Committee and Senate Republicans’ fundraising arm announced their first hauls of the cycle on Friday, pulling in $7.1 million and $2.5 million in January, respectively.

Wall Street is warming up to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a likely Republican presidential candidate, a sign that while Jeb Bush and Chris Christie have strong support in New York money circles, neither has a lock on the city’s big-dollar donors.

Republican presidential hopefuls are sending an out-sized portion of their campaign funds to lawmakers in the early nominating states of Iowa and New Hampshire, as they attempt to win over influential figures ahead of the 2016 campaign, a new report finds.

President Obama plans to increase spending on border security and customs enforcement, while presuming a nearly $160 billion deficit reduction over 10 years that the administration says would stem an immigration-law overhaul—one which has little chance of passing Congress.

Ready for Hillary, a super PAC formed in 2013 to raise money for a presidential campaign by Hillary Clinton, raised nearly $9 million in 2014, more than the groups affiliated with most Republicans known to be considering a 2016 presidential bid.